Beating the worst team in the conference playing without its best player would seem to be no reason to celebrate, but nevertheless Cal was pretty happy with its 77-64 victory over USC on Sunday at Haas Pavilion.

The win elevated the Bears into a tie for third in the Pac-12 with Stanford at 9-5 as they improved to 18-9 overall.

USC, which suspended leading scorer and rebounder Byron Wesley for the always-popular violation of team rules, fell to 1-13 in the Pac-12 and 10-17 overall.

"We're still happy," swingman Ricky Kreklow said after contributing 12 points and four rebounds. "We have struggled at home lately. It feels good to get one. ... Every game (we win) right now is very satisfying considering how close the race is in the conference for the top three spots."

The top four teams in the conference get a first-day bye in the Pac-12 tournament next month in Las Vegas. Cal is right on that number at the moment, looking up Arizona (12-2) and UCLA (10-4).

"It was a win we had to have," head coach Mike Montgomery said. "We're not into quality points. We're just trying to win games. Right now, we're in as good a shape as we can be."

Justin Cobbs had 15 of his 22 points in the second half to go with seven assists and was at times masterful directing the offense. Tyrone Wallace and Jabari Bird each had 10 points. David Kravish would have had a double-double but was called for hanging on the rim that negated a dunk; as it was, he had nine points, 10 rebounds and five of his team's season-high nine blocks.

The Bears started the second half poorly and within minutes, were down 36-30 before embarking on an 11-0 run that put them ahead 41-36. It didn't last, though, as USC fought back into a 56-53 lead on a jumper by J.T. Terrell with 8:14 to play.

From that point, Cal ratcheted up its intensity by going with a small lineup with Kreklow at the '4,' leading to another 11-0 run to move in front 64-56 with 4:18 left. Consecutive three-point shots by Bird from the same spot on the floor, the left corner, put the Bears up 72-60 at the 2:30 mark, signaling game over.

"We're not physical enough. We're not a physical basketball team," Montgomery said. "We've got to get up, get into people, get turnovers. We had to create some turnovers."

Transition was the key to this game for Cal. It outscored USC 43-22 in the categories of points off turnovers (18-11), second-chance plays (12-5) and on the fast break (13-6). For good measure, Cal's bench outscored USC's 19-6.

All in all, it was just what the Bears needed before this week's trip to Arizona for games against the Wildcats on Wednesday and Sun Devils on Saturday.